Although generally the least known of the
Five Civilized Tribes, no other tribe played a more significant role in
Britain's victory over France for control of North America. Variously
described as the "Unconquered" or the "Spartans of the
lower Mississippi Valley," the Chickasaw were the most formidable
warriors of the American Southeast. British traders from the Carolinas
were quick to recognize their prowess in this area, arming the Chickasaw after which, the French were crippled
in engaging in any
commerce along the lower
Mississippi River. The tribe never lost a
battle until they sided with the Confederates during the Civil War. Even
then, the Chickasaw Nation was the last Confederate government to
surrender to Union forces.

An important
Muscogean tribe, the Chickasaw were closely related to the
Choctaw in language and customs, although the two tribes were mutually
hostile. The principal difference between the two tribes were that the
Choctaw were more sedentary and had a
greater devotion to agricultural pursuits, while the Chickasaw were more turbulent, restless, and warlike.

The earliest habitat traceable for the
Chickasaw was in north Mississippi. Their villages in the 18th century
centered about Pontotoc and Union Counties, where the headwaters of the Tombigbee River met those of Yazoo River and its affluent, the
Tallahatchie River. This is where Hernando de Soto narratives placed them
in 1540, under the name Chicaza.

Their
main landing place on the
Mississippi River was at Chickasaw Bluffs, now
the site of Memphis, Tennessee, where a trail more than 160 miles long led to
their villages. They also had two other landing places farther up the
Mississippi River.

The Chickasaw were noted early on for their bravery,
independence, and warlike disposition. They were constantly fighting with
neighboring tribes; sometimes with the Choctaw and Creek,
and later, with
the
Cherokee, Illinois,
Kickapoo,
Shawnee, Mobile,
Osage, and Quapaw. They combined with the
Cherokee about 1715 and drove the
Shawnee from their
territory on the
Cumberland River. In 1732 they totally destroyed a war party of Iroquois
who had invaded their country.

In 1744, the English trader, James Adair, guided a pack
train of trade goods into the Chickasaw Nation and began to do business
with the tribe. He would maintain a friendly relationship with them for
the next two decades. When he departed from the Chickasaw for the last
time in 1768, he took with him a book-length manuscript that he was
determined to see published. In more than 500 pages, Adair's manuscript
contained a wealth of information about the tribe. Adair stated that
the Chickasaw had four contiguous settlements, each having several
villages within them. Their town sites were described as sophisticated,
they practiced agriculture, and possessed a highly developed ruling system
complete with laws and religion

However, the warlike Chickasaw claimed other territory far beyond the narrow limits
of their villages, land that extended north to the confluence of the
Ohio with the Tennessee Rivers, as well as a large area north of the
Tennessee River to the ridge between Duck and Cumberland Rivers and south
to the Tennessee River.

According to
other reports, there was also an outlying colony of Chickasaw
who dwelt on the Savannah River nearly opposite Augusta, Georgia, but trouble
with the Creek tribe drove them westward again.

They were constant enemies of the French, a feeling
intensified by the intrigues of British traders and their hatred of the
Choctaw who had entered into friendly
relations with the French colonists. The Chickasaw urged the Natchez to
resist the French encroachments, and gave shelter to them when driven from
their home.

French and Indian War by Felix Carr about
1870. This image available
for photographic prints and downloads
HERE!

In the French and Indian War of 1756 to 1763, which was
actually a war between Great Britain and France, they allied with the
English, fighting in a number of battles and resulting in British
domination of America.

Though they had formerly allied with the
Cherokee
to drive the
Shawnee
from their territory, they later would fight with them when the
Cherokee
tried to drive the Chickasaw out. Although the
Cherokee
outnumbered the Chickasaw five to one, the Chickasaw would prevail in the
end. After eleven years of skirmishes, the
Cherokee
were routed at a battle fought near the Chickasaw Old Fields in 1769. The
British arranged a peace the following year, and although they never
relinquished their claim to the disputed area, the
Cherokee
chose not to challenge the Chickasaw again.

Negotiations with the United States began with the Hopewell
Treaty in
1786, when their boundary on the north was fixed at the Ohio River. They
began to emigrate west of the
Mississippi River as early as 1822, and treaties
for the removal of those who remained in their old locations were made in
1832 and 1834.

During the
Indian
Removal to Indian Territory (Oklahoma),
the Chickasaw were unlike other tribes who exchanged land grants; instead,
they were to receive financial compensation of $3 million dollars for
their lands east of the
Mississippi River.
In 1836 the Chickasaw reached an agreement that purchased land from the
previously removed Choctaw, paying the other
tribe $530,000 for the westernmost part of Choctaw
land. The first group of Chickasaw moved in 1837. The $3 million dollars
that the U.S. owed the Chickasaw went unpaid for nearly 30 years.

Though they lived on separate land from the
Choctaw, the government saw the two tribes
as one until 1856, when the tribes were "officially" separated and the
Chickasaw were given direct authority over their affairs and formed their
own government. Tribal leaders established the capital at Tishomingo,
adopted a constitution and organized executive, legislative and judicial
departments.

When the
Civil War erupted, the
Chickasaw Nation was the
first of the
Five Civilized Tribes
to become allies of the
Confederate States of America, passing a
resolution in May, 1861. Part of their reason for siding with the south
was the United States having abandoned Fort Washita, leaving the Chickasaw
Nation defenseless against the Plains tribes. The other reason, was that
they were slave-holders. They soon raised troops to fight with the
Confederacy and were the last Confederate community to surrender to the
United States in 1866.

The peace treaty with the government included the provision
that the tribe emancipate their slaves and provide them with full
citizenship in the nation. These people became known as Chickasaw
Freedmen. However, the Chickasaw Nation
refused to automatically make their Freedmen citizens, instead requiring the
them to go through the same process as anyone else to gain
citizenship. These requirements provided that citizens be born of a
Chickasaw parent or to petition for citizenship if they were not a known
blood Chickasaw. Due to their refusal to automatically make the former
slaves citizens of their nation, the U.S. Government penalized the tribe
by taking over half of their lands without compensation.

Although suffering hardships after the defeat of the
Confederacy, the tribe regained prosperity, many of their members becoming
successful farmers and ranchers. The tribe also built some of the first
schools, banks, and businesses in Indian Territory.

After Oklahoma
became a state in 1907, the government began to appointed the principal
officers of the Chickasaw Nation. This finally
chanced in 1970, when Congress enacted legislation allowing the
Five Civilized Tribes
to elect their own principal officers. In 1983, a new Chickasaw
constitution was adopted.

Early
estimates of population vary widely, those of the 18th century ranging
from 2,000 to nearly 6,000. However, according to James Adair, who had
befriended the Chickasaw for two decades, he estimated their population
more closely in 1744 at between 3,000 and 4,000. In 1865 the estimated
population was 4,500 and in 1904 the official number was given as 4,820,
including mixed bloods.

Today, the Chickasaw Nation numbers approximately 38,000 members, making
it the eighth largest Indian nation in the United States. Though they live
throughout the United States, the biggest majority still reside in Oklahoma. With its headquarters in Ada, Oklahoma, the
Chickasaw
successfully commingle, both culturally and economically with the
non-Indian society, while still retaining their language and traditions. The tribe is currently involved in economic development and
other ventures with city, county and state levels of government, as well
as with private enterprise.

The tribal government headquarters, located in Ada,
includes a cultural center library and extensiveAmerican
Indian art
collection.

The Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Sulphur, Oklahoma is one of the
state's two national parks, named by Indian tribes as the "Peaceful Valley
of Rippling Waters," where inter-tribal disputes and warfare were
forbidden. Adjacent to the Chickasaw National Recreation Area is the new
Chickasaw Cultural Center. Located on 109 acres, the center will use live
performances, high-technology multimedia exhibits and galleries, as well
as natural outdoor spaces to share the story of the unconquered and
unconquerable Chickasaw Nation.

In the historic capital city of Tishomingo, visitors can
see the stately granite Chickasaw Nation Capitol Building or the Chickasaw
National Bank -- both built during the 19th century. The Chickasaw Council
House Museum gives a look back at the lives of those who helped settle
this part of the state and provides genealogical services.

Other ventures include a number of casinos, hotels, and
travel plazas.

The historic 1898 Chickasaw Nation Capitol
Building in Tishomingo, Oklahoma
later served as the Johnston County Courthouse. It was repurchased by the Chickasaw Nation in
1989. Photo courtesy Whoa_Nelly,
Democratic Underground